Turn with me, if you would, to
2 John. The second epistle of John, just
before Revelation. There's only one chapter in this
book, 13 verses. Let's read these 13 verses. The elder unto the elect lady
and her children. Whom I love in the truth. and
not I only, but also all they that have known the truth, for
the truth's sake, which dwelleth in us and shall be with us forever. Grace be with you, mercy and
peace from God the Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ, the
Son of the Father, in truth and love. I rejoiced greatly that
I found of thy children walking in truth, as we have received
a commandment from the Father. And now I beseech thee, lady,
not as though I wrote a new commandment unto thee, but that which we
had from the beginning, that we love one another. And this
is love, that we walk after his commandments. This is the commandment
that as you have heard from the beginning, you should walk in
it. For many deceivers are entered into the world who confess not
that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh. This is a deceiver
and an antichrist. Look to yourselves that we lose
not those things which we have wrought, but that we receive
a full reward. Whosoever transgresseth, and
abideth not in the doctrine of Christ, hath not God. He that
abideth in the doctrine of Christ, he hath both the Father and the
Son. If there come any unto you, and
bring not this doctrine, receive him not into your house, neither
bid him Godspeed. For he that biddeth him Godspeed
is partaker of his evil deeds. Having many things to write unto
you, I would not write with paper and ink, but I trust to come
unto you and speak face to face, that our joy may be full. The
children of thy elect sister greet thee." Amen. It appears
that John is writing to an actual lady, because he said in verse
13, the children of thy elect sister greet thee. It doesn't
say who this lady is. It doesn't give her name. She
represents God's people. His his bride, his elect. But did you notice how many times
it said the truth in the first four verses? Verse one said the
elder unto the elect lady and her children whom I love in the
truth. And not I only, but also all
they that have known the truth. For the truth sake, which dwelleth
in us and shall be with us forever. Grace be with you. Mercy and
peace from God, the father and from the Lord Jesus Christ, the
son of the father in truth and love. I rejoiced greatly that
I found of that children walking in truth as we have received
a commandment from the father. Truth, he said it's critical,
this truth. If any man comes preaching another
doctrine other than this truth, don't receive him, have nothing
to do with him, don't bid him Godspeed. this truth for the
bible study i want us to look at the subject of the truth all
right the truth this is an important subject i have come to realize
that more and more since i have become a pastor we all know that
the truth is an important subject but this is some of these things
are critical to know what does the scripture have to say about
the truth I want us to consider and I want us to find the answer
to three questions. Number one, what is the truth? What is the truth? Everybody, you know, ask the
truth, brother, what is the truth? All right, number two, does it
matter whether or not a person knows the truth? I want to emphasize
that question. That's an important question.
Have you ever attended a funeral where the person didn't go to
heaven? Does it matter whether or not
a person knows the truth? And then the third question is,
can a person know truths that are truths and not know the truth? This is an important, important
subject. I want to get right into it.
I feel like this Bible study is going to move quickly. We're
going to go right through these three questions. Question number one, what is
the truth? I'll say it and then we'll prove
it by the word. The truth is Christ. Period. The truth is Christ. The truth is a person. A person. Look with me if you would at
John 1. The Gospel of John chapter 1. John 1 verse 14 says, And the Word was made flesh and
dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory. The Word is a person. Everything in regard to the Gospel
is a person. People want to come to the altar.
The altar is a person. People want to be baptized. True
baptism is a person. Everything is a person. It's
a person. The Word was made flesh and dwelt
among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten
of the Father, full of grace and truth. John bear witness
of him and cried saying this was he of whom I spake he that
cometh after me is preferred before me for he was before me
and of his fullness have all we received and grace for grace
for the law was given by Moses but grace and truth came by Jesus
Christ The truth came by Christ because Christ is the truth.
He brought it with him because he is the truth. Look with me at John 14. John 14 verse 6, Jesus saith
unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life. No man cometh unto
the Father but by me. The way is a person. The truth
is a person. The life. Everybody wants to
have life in heaven. Life in eternity. Eternal life
is a person. It's a person. He plainly said,
I am the truth. I am the truth. Look at John
18. Verse 37. Pilate therefore said unto him,
Art thou a king then? Jesus answered, Thou sayest that
I am a king. To this end was I born, and for
this cause came I into the world, that I should bear witness unto
the truth. Everyone that is of the truth
heareth my voice. If a person is of the truth,
that person will hear my voice, not just see the law. but they
will hear my voice, they will hear this is why I came, this
is the purpose of why I came, this is what I came to accomplish,
and this is what I finished. Absolute, total redemption, total
salvation for my people. So what is the truth? It's not
a what, it's a who. And everything that he says is
the truth. Now hold your place here in John
and look with me back in the text. Second John. Let's read these four verses
again. The elder unto the elect lady and her children whom I
love in Christ. and not I only, but also all
they that have known Christ. For Christ's sake, which dwelleth
in us and shall be with us together, grace be with you, mercy and
peace from God the Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ, the
Son of the Father, in Christ and love. I rejoiced greatly
that I found of thy children walking in Christ as we have
received a commandment from the Father. So that's what the truth
is. He is the truth. Paul said that I might know him. I want to know the truth. Well,
what is it to know the truth? That I might know him and the
power of his resurrection. What it means that he died, was
buried and rose again. What does that mean? Does that
mean I now have to go fix all my sin? What does it mean that
he died, was buried, and rose again? Paul said that I might
know him in the power of his resurrection, in the fellowship
of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death, if
by any means I might attain unto the resurrection of the dead.
I want to know what it means to be made conformable unto his
death. That means when he died, I died. When he arose, I arose. Okay.
Second question. Does it matter whether or not
a person knows Christ? Does it matter? Does it truly
matter whether or not a person knows the truth of Christ, the
truth concerning Christ and Christ who is the truth? Does it matter
whether or not a person has a spiritual union with him? Knows who he
is and knows what he's done. Is everybody just going to end
up in heaven? That's the mindset. That's the natural mindset. Well,
everybody goes to heaven. What did they believe? Well,
does it matter? Everybody goes to heaven. Is everybody just
going to end up in heaven or must a person know God's truth? We'll go with me back to John
this time, chapter 17. John 17, verse three says. And this is life eternal. that they might know thee the
only true God and Jesus Christ whom thou hast sent. This is
life eternal. Knowing Christ. Knowing Christ
and knowing the truth concerning Christ. That is life eternal. Eternal life depends on it. Salvation hangs on it. How can a sinner know Christ?
How can a sinner know Christ? Christ has to be revealed to
the sinner. Until God reveals Christ to the
sinner, that sinner is dead, that sinner is blind. It's a
work that God does. And when Christ is revealed,
when what he accomplished is revealed, then that is the evidence
that eternal life has come. when a sinner sees Christ, who
he is and what he's done. Look at John 8. John 8 31 it says. Then said
Jesus to those Jews which believed on him. If you continue in my
word, then are you my disciples indeed? And here's what that
means not. If you continue in my word, then
you can be one of my disciples. What he was saying is if you
continue in my word, that's the evidence that you're one of my
disciples. Verse 32 and you shall know the truth And the truth
shall make you free. You shall know the truth, you'll
know the truth of Christ, you'll know the truth of what he did.
Whoever knows Christ, I mean truly knows Christ. has been
made free, redeemed, paid for, bought with a price. Christ reveals
that to a sinner, and that's the evidence of redemption. But
there is no freedom for a soul who does not know Christ. Look at John 3. John 3 verse 36, he that believeth
on the son, I mean believes on, believes on the work he accomplished,
knows what he accomplished and has cast his all on it. Whosoever, he that believeth
on the Son, hath everlasting life. And he that believeth not
the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abideth on him. Salvation and eternal life is
completely dependent on knowing Christ. Not truths about Christ. Christ, knowing Christ. That
brings us to the third question. Can a person know truths and
not know the truth? Can a person know truths about
Christ and not know Christ? There are some truths that everybody
ought to know. Everybody ought to know. Somebody
says, well, yeah, he believes in election. That's great. He
ought to believe in election because it's on every page in
the word of God. It literally says election, elect,
elected. This Bible is the word of God,
man ought to know that. Christ came to save sinners. We ought to know that God is
sovereign. He's all powerful. He's all controlling. We ought to know that Christ
died, was buried and rose again. Everybody knows that. Those are
all truths, but is knowing truths knowing Christ? Is that what
it is to know Christ? Can a person know truths about
Christ and not know Christ the truth? Well, turn with me to
James 2. Just after Hebrews, James chapter
2. James 2 verse 19, it says, thou
believest that there is one God, thou doest well. The devils also
believe that and they tremble. They know that truth. They know
that there is one God, one true God, but they don't know God. They don't know Christ. They
know that truth, but they don't know the truth. They know facts
about Christ, but they don't know Christ. Don't turn. But in Luke four, it says. In
the synagogue, there was a man which had a spirit of an unclean
devil. Right? There was a man sitting
in church who had in him an unclean spirit. And he cried out with
a loud voice saying, Let us alone. What have we to do with thee,
thou Jesus of Nazareth? Art thou come to destroy us? I know thee who thou art, the
Holy One of God. That's what that evil spirit
said. He said, I know who you are.
I know exactly who you are, but he didn't know him. He didn't
know him. There's a difference. There is
a difference. What is it to truly know Christ? How can I know if I truly possess
And know the truth, God's truth. How can I know if I possess the
truth? And know the truth. Go with me
to 2 Thessalonians 2. 2 Thessalonians 2. Verse 8 says, and then shall
that wicked be revealed whom the Lord shall consume with the
spirit of his mouth and shall destroy with the brightness of
his coming, even him whose coming is after the working of Satan
with all power and signs and lying wonders and with all deceivableness
of unrighteousness in them that perish. He said he's describing
those who are going to perish. Verse 10 goes on to say, because
they received not the love of the truth that they might be
saved. What is it to truly know the
truth? It's to love the truth. It is to love the truth. The
scripture says, we're going to read it in a moment, but the
scripture says, Adam knew Eve, his wife. He didn't just know
with a mental understanding that she existed. He loved her. He had a vital union with her. What is it to truly know Christ? It is to love Christ. as the Word declares Him to be. It is to have a vital union with
Him. It's to need Him and desire Him. Verse 11 goes on to say, And
for this cause God shall send them strong delusion that they
should believe a lie, that they all might be damned who believed
not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness. But we are
bound to give thanks always to God for you, brethren, beloved
of the Lord, because God hath from the beginning chosen you
to salvation. through sanctification of the
Spirit and belief of the truth, whereunto he called you by our
gospel to the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. What is it to truly know Christ?
It's to believe Christ. It's to believe Christ. When
he said this is how it is, it's to rest in what he said. It is
to believe Christ and believe on Christ. It's not just to know
that God is sovereign. It's to love the fact that God
is sovereign. It's not just to know that it's
His will instead of mine. It's to love the fact that it's
His will instead of mine. Do you absolutely love the fact
that it's His will instead of mine? God's people do because
they know if it was my will, I'd run so far from Him, I'd
run headlong into destruction. It's to love the fact that it's
His choice, not mine. It's to love the fact that it's
His work and not mine. You tell people salvation is
of the Lord. It's His choice. It's His work. And the flesh
goes, that's not fair. You mean I don't even have a
say in the matter? It's to love the fact that I don't have a
say in the matter. Oh, I'm so glad I don't have a say in the
matter. Because He revealed to me the truth of what I am. It's to love the fact that He's
high and I'm low. I love that. God's people want
to get lower and lower and lower. Falling on the ground is not
enough. They just pour dust and ashes on there. It's to love
the fact that He had to come down and do for me what I could
not do for myself. It's to love the fact that his
spotless blood has covered all my filth and all my sin. That's
what it is to have the truth, know the truth, and be in the
truth. It's to have, know, and be in
Christ. Over there in 1 Corinthians 13,
Paul kept saying, I don't have Christ. If I don't have love
for Christ and love for the brethren of Christ, I'm nothing. Oh, faith
is so important and hope is so important, but the greatest is
Christ and love for Christ and love for the brethren. And that's
what John said back in our text. Go with me to 2 John 1. We'll
close with this. 2 John 1. Verse one, the elder unto the
elect lady and her Children whom I love in the truth. I love and
not I only, but also all they that have known the truth. They
they love her too. For the truth's sake, which dwelleth
in us and shall be with us forever, grace be with you, mercy and
peace from God the Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ, the
Son of the Father, in truth and love. I rejoiced greatly that
I found of thy children walking in truth as we have received
a commandment from the Father. And now I beseech thee, lady,
not as though I wrote a new commandment unto thee, but that which we
had from the beginning, that we love one another. And this
is love, that we walk after his commandments. What are his commandments? Love Christ, believe on Christ,
come to Christ, follow Christ, bow the knee to Christ. Verse
six, this is the commandment. that you as that as you have
heard from the beginning, you should walk in it. Make God honestly
give us a knowledge of the truth. And may He give us a love of
the truth. A true love of the truth calls
us to know Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship
of His sufferings, being made conformable unto His death, if
by any means we might attain to the resurrection of the dead.
All right, you're dismissed.